Chapter 3
Dean looked at the letter that came by special messenger. The first thing that came to mind was that someone was dinking with them since no one knew where they were except Bobby. When he saw who it was from, he couldn't help but grin.
"Dean, what is it?" Sam asked his question in a fit of impatience. Finally he grabbed it out of Dean's hand and managed to hold it out of his brother's reach. He read it and looked at Dean, "Did you know?"
Dean looked at Sam as if he were crazy. "Hell no Sam. Hale must've found out. She's good at that."
"And how did she find us?"
"She's a witch Sam. Probably did a search spell," Dean replied. "Now give it back."
Sam held it out of reach of Dean so he could read it. He took in the note. It was like a telegram but it was signed by Haley. Well he thought so even though he had never seen anything she had written. Dean's assessment could be counted upon since he and Haley had a standing thing. The message itself was a surprise to him.
To: Dean and Sam,
Hi guys. I know you are probably thinking how in the hell I found you. Well to give you the answer, I used my scrying crystals. Not that hard considering I know what to look for. Anyway I did some checking and I found that someone you know has a birthday coming up.
Need a hint? That someone is known for turning anything in her pockets into a deadly weapon. Well the surprise is to be held at the Wilkerson House in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Come on down. I hear the mineral springs are therapeutic.
Later,
Haley
Sam frowned and then looked at Dean. "Are you sure this is legit?" He held the message in front of Dean much like a parent would hold something in front of a child when they were in trouble.
Dean snatched the message out of Sam's hand. "Of course it is. Only Hale knows that little quirk of Angie's and she would know how to find us." The more Dean thought about it, the more he realized exactly what Haley would have used.
Sam noticed his brother looked a little uncomfortable. Normally he would have grabbed on it and teased his brother about it as payback. Right now they had something dropped into their laps that could be a great find or something that could potentially blow up in their faces. "Dean, how would Haley know about Angie having a birthday?"
"She found out," Dean replied as he shrugged his shoulders. "Sam, Hale has access to resources we don't have and she may have had a girl talk thing with Angie. Come on Sam. It's perfect and it's at a place that has one of those therapeutic things that Angie likes."
Sam wasn't too sure. Angela sharing something like that with Haley but not him and Dean? Maybe he was making too much of a big deal out of this. It did seem like a good idea and it solved their problem about where to go for their mini vacation. However he wasn't sure about having others around. "Maybe Dean."
Dean could see that Sam was not sure. "Look, I get it if it is the age thing but maybe it's what Angie needs. She needs someone, like us, to show her that she means something to us. We say it but maybe we need to show it."
When Sam failed to respond Dean peered at his brother. Sam was staring at him wide eyed and it looked like his jaw might drop. Dean became annoyed and asked, "What?"
Sam knew Dean could be touchy-feely when he wanted to on his own time but this was the first that he had seen his brother talk like he would. "Nothing. It's just that you're not the kind of person to sound… what is it? Like a brooding emo."
"Bite me bitch," Dean replied. "I have my moments. It's not about me or you or even a damn case. This is about Angie. When we get burned out, we take a few days. It's Angie's turn. So you with me on this?"
Sam made a slight face as he looked at nothing in particular. Dean did have a point. There were just a few sticking points that had to be addressed. "How are we going to get there without arousing her suspicions?"
Dean had considered that. Angela could sniff out a lie like a bloodhound did an escaped convict. Misleading required a certain finesse and Sam could pull that off. On the other hand telling her that they were taking a vacation was probably the best route to go but they would have to do it while they were on the road and past the point of no return. He replied, "Just hit the road and then tell her that we're taking a couple of days off."
Sam looked at Dean with the look he gave his brother when he said he was Batman. "You really think she is going to buy that?"
Dean returned the look with one that was assertive that it was going to work even though it was his usual bravado showing. "Sure… once we pass a point of no return. It's not like she could make the car stop just like that."
"Dean…"
"Sam, honesty is the best policy with her. She can sniff a lie better than you can tell one and it's true that we are going on vacation. We're just omitting that Hale wants to surprise her for her birthday." Dean watched as a variety of looks flashed over Sam's face. He nearly had him. He knew that even with Sam's logic, this was the best way to go. Even though they could spill their personal secrets if she asked the right questions, they could keep a surprise. "Come on Sammy. Admit it that you miss her occasionally calling you Sammy."
Sam made a slight groaning sound. Dean had him on that point. He always told everyone else to call him 'Sam' and the only one who had the special privilege was Dean. Yet he never corrected her when she called him that especially when she teased him. Lately she had just been calling him Sam and when he tried teasing her about working with Dean germs, she didn't even respond. Dean was making a very good case on this and it was highly unusual.
It then occurred to Sam that Dean may have some feelings for Angela. It looked dysfunctional to most people since they often verbally sparred to the point of insults but he knew better. He looked at Dean and asked, "IS this for her or are you trying to impress her?"
Damn Sammy, you really are missing the mark. I care about her but not that way. Dean couldn't help but marvel how stupid his brother was about this. Even after their shared experiences and her training Sam, he still didn't get it. He replied, "It's for her Sam. After finding out about what could happen to Chasers, I just want her to know she can rely on us."
Sam was won over. There really was no argument against it. He agreed that she needed time away from the job. "Alright Dean. We'll go to this Heber Springs and see what happens."
Dean smiled big. Now they were rolling. "This is gonna work Sam."
Sam hoped it would. "I hope so."
"Come on Sam. It's her birthday and she gets a vacation."
If only it were that simple. Sam said nothing to that but started packing his stuff. Dean stopped him, "Hey, tell her we're heading out within an hour."
"Why me?"
"Big brother, I win," Dean answered with a straight face. He then pointed at Sam, "And don't argue. You may be champion of the tournament but I can still kick your ass. Oh and think about a present."
"What?" Sam had reluctantly started towards the door. When he heard Dean's last request he knew he had to put a stop to it. "Dean."
"Just do it."
Sam groaned. This was going to be worth more trouble than he thought. At least he didn't have to start lying at that moment. It was the truth that they were heading out in an hour. He sighed as he stopped in front of her door and raised his hand to knock.
Angela was sitting in her room staring at the screen of her laptop. She had her computer pad still but at the moment she felt like using the laptop. There was a soothing feel to it even though she liked the state of the art feel of her computer pad. Besides using it just made her remember who helped with the specs on in.
The picture popped up from her photo album and she stared at it. She gave a slight smile and said in a low voice, "Oh Ash. I wish you were still around. Maybe you might have been able to help me track down a few things."
That's me. Dr. Badass and I can find anything. Anything you want, just call my name.
Angela chuckled to herself. When she first met Ash, she saw past the goofiness down to the good soul he was. That was the first time they had a beer together and they swapped stories. That led to a drinking contest that nearly got out of hand but Ellen and Jo discovered that she had a head for alcohol that was better than Ellen and Bobby put together.
Ash had been instrumental in helping develop a means of tracking the supernatural through their natural energies. It was a theory but he was Dr. Badass and he came through. She gave up on it though since at the time her goal was Azazel. She flipped up another picture.
Angie, you're my best friend. I want you to be there when I get married.
I can't. If you want out, that means I have to stay away. But I will always watch over you.
It was an old photo dating back to the 1960s. It was of her and Mary Campbell outside of a high school. She remembered that picture very well. The yearbook staff was taking pictures for the yearbook for their theme of 'Friends Stick Together.' She had been undercover at the school for a job then. Mary guessed what she was off the bat and demanded to know why she was there.
After the explanations, they hung out together. She had grown up hunting and even though it wasn't a good idea, Angela taught Mary a few tricks. Of course she ended meeting Samuel Campbell and she could tell he didn't like her. Mary ended up pouring her heart out to Angela and when she started having eyes for John, Angela encouraged her and in so doing increased Old Man Campbell's dislike of her.
She had an ironclad rule about photo taking but she could hardly avoid them if they were an accident. Hell she knew there was a painting of her somewhere in existence. She just couldn't find it. She made an exception then and asked for a copy which the staff gladly gave. That was a happy time then. "If I knew what was going t happen then, I would have made changes. I just hope that you can forgive me wherever you are."
Angela clicked through more pictures from her days of hunting, most of them before she joined the boys. Some were good times and some were bad in that they died because of the supernatural. Some were able to live their lives and make something of it. She pulled up one photo of her in the jungles of Vietnam surrounded by children. It was alongside of a more current one taken in Somalia. She certainly had traveled. She then came across a fairly recent picture that must have been taken when she wasn't looking.
She was leaning over the engine of the Impala pointing something out to Dean and Sam was just sitting on the ice chest looking amused. She remembered that. She and Dean were arguing over what was making the tick in the engine. Dean said there was no tick and she said there was. Sam was egging the both of them on. Looking at it, she realized that Bobby must've taken it and uploaded it to her laptop and she smiled but it didn't last.
You know love, if you want to break this deal, you must realize that there is a price for it. Now I know that you have this desire to help every stray dog that comes your way and it is commendable but downright sickening.
Angela scowled as she replayed that memory in her mind. Crowley had given a call and asked her to meet him. They had just arrived and were looking for a case. Not wanting to hold a conversation with a demon in front of the boys, she left to take it in private.
There is a job for you here and it's not what you think. Corpses have been turning up bled dry but it's not what you think.
Why are you telling me this?
Because I want you remember what you are. I know you are Absolution but that is a name and a person. Consider it a reality check and one of the mental variety. Plus I want you to consider the offer of doing a few things for me in exchange for a means of ending certain deals.
Angela knew what Crowley was talking about in terms of the job. She hadn't seen one in a long time but it still got to her. It reminded her harshly the reality that her race was not big into longevity even though the max was estimated at two hundred. She was the exception and ever since she saw her first Fallen she lived with the fear at the back of her mind that she could become like that. It became more pronounced when she met Lenya and had 'fun' down there. It just rankled her that Crowley was using that to see if she would accept deal terms.
She knew she wasn't going to do it and she was risking much by leading the demon on but the fact that she knew nothing was guaranteed even with the prospect of a hearing on Dean's case… It was disheartening and with reminders coming up left and right, it made her depressed and moody. She knew it wasn't fair that she was taking it out in a distracted way and being distant with the boys. She shouldn't be pushing them away like that. At least her talk with Dean cheered her up a bit and the fact that they had nothing urgent to do made things pleasant.
A knock sounded on the door. Closing the laptop, she walked over and opened it. She knew it was Sam's knock and didn't bother to hide one of her pistols in her belt. She looked at Sam and asked, "Does the music Nazi want to head out?"
Dean glanced in the rearview mirror towards the back. They had been on the road for nearly three hours now and nothing was coming from the backseat. No jokes, no nothing. Not even Dean's willingness to put up with Vivaldi's Four Seasons caused a stir. It made him anxious though and he kept glancing.
She was just sitting there and was leaning against the prop she always leaned against and was staring out the window. The lack of expression was worrisome since the only time he had seen a lack of expression was when she stood by Sam and killed Jake. Dean had no clue what was going through her mind. He looked over at Sam and motioned with his head.
Sam glanced at Dean and turned to take a look. She failed to respond to that and he looked back at Dean. He gave a slight shrug since he wasn't sure of what to do.
Dean glanced in the mirror again and then at Sam. They were well on their way to Heber Springs and it was sort of a point of no return. Mainly though the lack of response or even a joke or two was disturbing. He glanced one more time and started, "Hey Angie?"
"Hmm?"
That was something, Dean sent as he glanced at Sam.
Better than nothing.
It was encouragement for Dean to continue, "Sam and I… well we were thinking about taking a few days off. Go somewhere and… You know a mini vacation."
Sam remembered something and felt the need to add, "And Dean doesn't mean your version of a vacation." He knew she would understand because she was the one who told it to him even though he was sure she was joking a little at the time and she was a little more than pissed with him.
The response surprised the both of them, "What did you have in mind?"
That was the tricky part. It was a matter of how much to tell her without spoiling things for Haley. Dean thought this was going to be more difficult than he originally thought. It sounded easy when he made his case to Sam. In practice it was like… getting her to wear a splint or something. Finally he said, "Have you ever heard of Heber Springs?"
"A little. Isn't it known for the mineral springs?"
That at least had the barest hint of interest. Dean though wasn't sure about that. He had been busy processing the message that Haley sent that was now squished in his pocket. It was Sam who rescued him, "Yeah. Supposed to be therapeutic and there are resorts around there."
Sam looked at Dean and he gave a slight shrug. He was only going off of what he managed to find in the battered magazine that had been in their room. Dean could have scowled but Sam did save his bacon on that one. He said, "We thought it might appeal to your sorcerer's nature and you can relax a little."
It was a little startling when Angela leaned forward and rested her elbows on the seat back between the boys. She looked between them as if trying to find if anything was suspicious. She finally asked, "What brought this on?"
It was strange for her to be in close proximity like that but Dean managed to play it off and replied, "Everyone needs a day off once in a while. Sometimes not thinking about the job and being away from it for a while helps."
Sam made a slight eye roll and turned to look at Angela. Her head turned to give him her full attention even though she was resting her head on his hands. He added, "What Dean was trying to say was that we both noticed that you've been kind of down and after what happened with Gordon and the last case…"
Dean elbowed Sam hard. The point was not to make her more depressed than she already was. Sam was just making it worse. Sam retaliated with a bitch face and a punch to Dean's side. Dean scowled and managed to get out, "Fine. Angie um… I did some reading about what you said and I… well we know that thing last night wasn't a vamp."
"No it wasn't," Angela said, still not moving. She gave a slight smile and added, "I'm impressed that you were able to figure it out, Dean."
"Well, I don't mean anything by it, but you mentioned age and I became curious and checked that new database you showed College Boy here and well… I didn't like it."
"It is what it is," the reply came sounding a bit tired. "So you two decided to cheer me up by taking me to some resort in the middle of nowhere?"
"Dean thought of it," Sam replied, content with pushing Dean in front of the bus with this one. It was his idea though and he was along for the ride. Plus he wanted to catch Dean trying to worm his way out of a chick flick moment.
"Yeah but you agreed to it." Dean realized how ridiculous that sounded but he was determined to have Sam's part pushed in front of the same bus. They were tag teaming on this and that was final. He gave a look at Sam stating that he was the big brother and what he said went. "Just think of it this way Angie: Nothing related to the job and you're doing something relaxing… er…"
It was hard to see the expression on Angela's face since she was resting her head on her hands on the seat back. The silence though was unnerving even for Dean. It was hard to do this and hell he and Sam spilled their guts when it was their problems. He was especially disappointed with himself. Dean Winchester was the one that knew how to talk to girls. He was the expert at it even if he was somewhere halfway to a decent pickup line. Sam was the one that was bashful and even then it worked for him.
Dean felt like it was his first time trying to chat up a girl and he had been doing that since he was a kid and Sam was the tag-along cute little brother. Later he would joke with Sam about pimping out his cute factor if only to get the bitch face. "So what do ya say? We eighty-six the job for a few days and recharge the batteries so to speak?"
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. Now Dean was making it sound like a quick fix so they could get back to doing what they did full time. Well at least he was doing what he set out to do and not say anything about the surprise birthday Haley planned.
It was unexpected when Dean felt a pair of lips touch his cheek. It took a second for it to register that she had kissed him instead of pinched his cheek as she normally would. She then said, "Thank you for the gesture. It sounds like fun." The tone of her voice had lightened considerably and sounded a little surprised that they wanted to do something nice for her.
Dean managed to catch a glance of Angela giving the same treatment to Sam. He saw the look of confusion on his brother's face guessing that he was thinking that Dean should be getting all the credit. He gave a big grin and replied, "I think you'll like it Angie. The place recommended was the Wilkerson House."
"Well it would be nice to see the mineral springs. I have heard that hot springs and mineral springs are good especially for sore muscles and serious injuries."
"Don't even think about trying to give me another lesson. It's supposed to be vacation Angie," Dean teased. He knew she would latch onto the whole therapeutic thing that sounded just as girly as Sam's health fetish.
"I meant about trying it out. I heard it works wonders in curing bashfulness."
It was a full minute before both brothers realized that she had made a joke. Granted it was making fun of the both of then it was still a welcome relief. Dean laughed a little and replied, "Hey you're talking to the king of chatting up girls."
"As long as you find yourself to a decent pickup line," came the reply. It was followed by a short chuckle. "Wake me when you make a pit stop please."
They didn't have to look to see that Angela had leaned back into her seat and curled up to take one of her cat naps. Dean couldn't help but make the small smile that threatened. Even though his year was full of more of the same, he could make the most of it. Hell Angela treated every day like it was his last and didn't even treat him like he was dying. The way he saw it, it was her turn and he was sure Sam saw it that way too. He glanced in the mirror and saw that she was asleep. He said to Sam, "At least she didn't try to stop the car."
"Whatever, Dean."
A/N: Well they're off to Heber Springs and let's see what that brings next time on 'Trick'steen Candles...
